Six Thinking Hats

The facilitator leads the group through the protocol, reading and then carrying out each point, one after the other.

The Six Thinking Hats is a method invented by psychologist, physician and cognitive scientist Edward de Bono in 1985. This method puts into practice his concept of “lateral thinking”. For him, this concept enables us to move away from the argumentative model of debate, which consists of defending one's position and convincing the other that one is right, to work collaboratively on the different facets of a problem or question.

The successive hats are put on by the entire group, each hat reviewing different states and logically arriving at—if all goes well—a to-do list. Incredibly effective.

The facilitator names the different hats and their functions:

• Blue hat - Setting up (and closing)

• Orange hat - information and facts

• Yellow hat - emotions and feelings

• Red hat - risks and problems

• Green hat - benefits

• Purple hat - creativity and solutions

and starts the session in the blue hat.

The blue hat opens and closes the session, setting the framework for the discussion. Under the opening blue hat, we define or explain why we're here, what we need to think about, define the situation or problem, what we want to achieve. The facilitator remains in the blue hat throughout the session to ensure that the framework is respected, or to redefine it if necessary.

Do it.

Under the orange hat, we seek to define and clarify facts exclusively.

The purpose of the orange hat is to collect and collectivize all the basic elements of the situation. It addresses these questions: What information do we have? Which do we still need? And how do we get them?

The group decides on a time limit (e.g. ten minutes for eight people) and the floor is left wide open.

Do it.

The yellow hat provides a space for expressing emotions, feelings or intuitions about the subject at hand.

Emotions are always present in discussions and are a very important element of reflection. Giving them a specific place allows them to be made visible and shared, so that they can be considered in reflections and decisions. They are a good tool for defining the group's values.

The emotions should be shared without explanation or justification and should not be judged or discussed by the group: "I feel excitement", "I'm afraid", "I have doubts"... Yellow hat rounds are therefore held quickly, with maximum two minutes timed per person.

Ideally, everyone should participate. That said, if it's too difficult to share aloud, it's possible to do so anonymously in writing. Emotions, feelings and insights are then read out to the group by the facilitator.

Do it.

The red hat is used to highlight the risks, fears, and problems associated with the subject under discussion. It appeals to the critical mind. Under the red hat, we seek to identify potential errors, dangers, obstacles, and difficulties, as well as to define what doesn't fit in with our values, resources, policies, needs, etc. This is an important moment in the discussion that should neither be overlooked nor turn into a debate. The aim is not to find out who's right or wrong, but to accumulate as much critical information as possible, which will enable us to move forward with care and caution. The red hat highlights problems without seeking to solve them.

The group decides on a time (e.g. ten minutes for eight people), and the floor is left wide open.

Do it.

The green hat focuses on the positive aspects of the subject. The green hat appeals to curiosity and the desire to see things happen. Green hat's possibilities, suggestions, and proposals exist on a spectrum from the practical and concrete, to visions, dreams, and hopes. It's worth taking note of even the most fanciful proposals. The green hat is positive, constructive, and generative. It highlights possibilities and opportunities without restraint or bridle, and leaves it to the purple hat to figure out how to realize them.

The group decides on a time (e.g. ten minutes for eight people), and the floor is left wide open.

Do it.

The purple hat offers a time for creativity. It's all about working on ideas already proposed and coming up with new ones, overcoming the difficulties posed by the red hat, and turning the ideas proposed by the green hat into reality. All suggestions have their place, from the most obvious to the most surprising. The aim of the purple hat is to move from a position of judgment to one of motion, to move forward and progress.

The group decides on a time (e.g. ten minutes for eight people), and the floor is left wide open.

Do it.

Once the sequence has been completed, the facilitator puts the group back into the blue hat to close the session. During this time, the results of the discussions are observed, the conclusions reached are explained, the solutions that emerge are summarized, and the next steps to be taken are clarified.

Do it.

If there are more than 10 participants, we advise you to divide the group in two for the discussion and to do a short review of each stage within the groups, then to do the closing session as a group.

It's advisable to allow a fairly short time for each hat (~ 5 to 10 min), which means a session can be completed in an hour or less. This time can be extended if necessary.

It may be useful to print out the list of hats with their functions (as listed in Blue Hat - setting up), so that participants can have the different chapters in front of them.

The tool can be used once or in sequence.

Single use: at some point in the discussion, we realize that we need a specific look at the situation, so we can signal this by asking each participant to take on a particular hat.

Sequential use: Start with a blue hat time to decide on the sequence to adopt. Not all hats may be used.

De Bono's decision to use a metaphorical element such as the hat is intended to create distance and a playful aspect that can help to facilitate discussion by topic. However, depending on the dynamics of your group, it may be more effective to deal directly with the issue using the category to which the hat relates.

Critique: de Bono's choice of colors is based on Western cultural symbolism, which we questioned. For him, white symbolizes “neutral” and black “negative”. We have therefore found another logic, excluding white and black from the range. You can, of course, choose your own colors, and use other categories or metaphors (glasses, coins, paintings, etc.).

DE BONO Edward, Les six chapeaux de la réflexion, Ed. Eyrolles, 2017, Paris.
https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/